Psalms 58
1 To the Chief Musician. "Do not Destroy." A precious Psalm, of David. Are ye, indeed, silent [when] righteousness, ye should speak? When, with equity, ye should judge, O ye sons of men?
To the chief music-maker; put to Al-tashheth. Michtam. Of David. Is there righteousness in your mouths, O you gods? are you upright judges, O you sons of men?
2 Aye! ye all do work, perversity, —Throughout the land, your hands, weigh out, violence!
The purposes of your hearts are evil; your hands are full of cruel doings on the earth.
3 Lawless men have been estranged from birth, They have gone astray from their nativity, speaking falsehood;
The evil-doers are strange from the first; from the hour of their birth they go out of the true way, saying false words.
4 Their poison, is like unto the poison of a serpent, Like the deaf adder, that stoppeth his ear;
Their poison is like the poison of a snake; they are like the adder, whose ears are shut;
5 That will not hearken to the voice of whisperers, Though the wise one try to bind him with spells.
Who will not be moved by the voice of the wonder-worker, however great are his powers.
6 O God! break away their teeth in their mouth, The biters of the young lions, knock thou out, O Yahweh!
O God, let their teeth be broken in their mouths; let the great teeth of the young lions be pulled out, O Lord.
7 Let such men flow away like waters that disperse themselves: He prepareth his arrow, Like [grass] let them be cut down:
Let them be turned to liquid like the ever-flowing waters; let them be cut off like the grass by the way.
8 Like a snail, which melteth away as it goeth, An untimely birth of a woman, which hath not seen the sun:
Let them be like an after-birth which is turned to water and comes to an end; like the fruit of a woman who gives birth before her time, let them not see the sun.
9 Before your kettles can perceive the [kindled] bramble, Be he green or be he withered, he shall be swept away.
Before they are conscious of it, let them be cut down like thorns; let a strong wind take them away like waste growth.
10 The righteous man will rejoice when he hath seen an avenging, His feet, will he bathe in the blood of the lawless one: —
The upright man will be glad when he sees their punishment; his feet will be washed in the blood of the evil-doer.
11 So that a son of earth may say—Surely there is fruit for the righteous man! Surely there are gods who judge in the earth!
So that men will say, Truly there is a reward for righteousness; truly there is a God who is judge on the earth.
